The driptorch is one of the tools used to ignite the controlled burn at Round Valley. Here, a worker starts a fire line along the park’s Miwok Trail.
Photo by Ger Erickson
The EBRPD police helicopter dumps water on a section of meadow. The copter made numerous sorties between Round Valley and the Los Vaqueros Reservoir.
Photo by Ger Erickson
EBRPD fire workers are ready to douse the flames in the event a section of the burn jumps the line. To reduce the likelihood of such an occurrence, strict conditions for temperature, humidity and wind must be met before the burn can commence.
Photo by Ger Erickson
Photo by Ger Erickson
Smoke rises from the meadow after the flames are gone.
Photo by Ger Erickson
The meadow’s transformation from green to gold to black is complete.
Photo by Ger Erickson
The “designated burn,” which reduced a swath of meadow to a charred mat, is a response to the profusion of wild grasses kicked up by our rainy spring, providing abundant fuel for potential wildfires. Yesterday’s burn encompassed approximately 20 acres of the total targeted burn of 186 acres, scheduled to conclude by Sept. 30.
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